Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-28
FORCED TO BE HONEST,
Railroad Passenger Conductors Affected
by the Interstate Law-"Knock.
ing Down" Knocked Out.
The Science of Stealing Fares Explained
by a Veteran at the
Business

ductors the worst feature about the inter
state commerce law Is that it prevents
them from 'ku0c4ing doWn' Us much as
they did"
The speaker, = passenger conductor on
well known road, spoke jokingIy, but
he was in earnest.
"The pubic will be interested in know
ing how tae law prevents knocking
down." said the Herald reporter.
." dare say, and so VIII the railroad
companies" replied the conductor.
However, as arr not one Of the com
planning ones, l don't know what harm
viii result by cnligdteniUg the dear.
or SIS Vanderbilt didn't SKY, the ID
public"
"The best way" said re, Eto make YOU
understand what the new law cuts the
knock downs out Of is 10 tell YOU what
was formerly done by them. l can do
this With better Srsce, because, while |
know ell about it, l never took but 81
OF company money in my life, and that |
paid back. The taking and repayirg
were, of course, unknown to the com
panV or l shouldn't be here now.
'IGe impression the public hiss, that
ell passenger conductors stesl is very
unjust, anC il has made q thitt of more
than one good man. might as well have
the game IS the EGme,'' they argued, and |
they soon had the game. The idea that con- |
ductors steal themselves rich is also ab- !
surd. They can cor could feather their |
own nests fairly veil, but when eny one
OF them attempts to tske large amounts
ne is sure to get tDlue envelope aud q
private posting which prevents his en-
@agirg with any other railroad company
Tr-n10 Q hlp 90 pugffu n |
considerable sum il the course OF g con
duc-ur's running timely which mean,
say, twenty years-he must have fat
run and long one. The sums knocked
down vary from quarter of 8 dollar to
SO II man can salt two vs. trip,
and he makes three trips q week, he is
doing about $500 year. Conductors are
paid an average of 500 month. This, :
with oDe'S stealing, gives them about :
$500 yeaT-only good living. 50 you /,
see this talk about q conductor owning !
the road, stealing brown stone 'front.' \
etc, is gross exsggeration." |
"Well, le. the public have it." !
ROW CONDUCTORS KNOCK DOWN,
"In the first place, then, every con- !;
ductor Who steals regularly has method. !.
The principle OF every method is about y
sltke, but the methods differ in detail. :.
instance, the general principle is, or !.
ives, not TO steal all money, but part cash h.
ana part tickets. Since the gate system =
mas been SO universally adopted, and Z
comparatively few peup'c ret aboard 8
without tickets, the principle has been (
Don't steal eli tickets There =
IRE on this train the conversation vas be- .
ing carried On in j smoking car ST pas :
sengers. About 100 ofthese are through lss
passengers that j. Going 10 the end off8y ~
run. The remainder are way 4t#sSep- =
gers. As they get off t4Ieir places :
viii most likely ne taken by otfSsTs, =
50 that ri the endCf the trip there a4lI be :
aboard about the same nsmBer thGt ,:
started. This is not ALWAYS the case, but u
t usually is on this train (the express
Let us suppose, then, that Of these Isl
passengers all but three have tickets. &
The three pay their fares. The conductor
VINO would knock down al three fares .,
would soon be discharged. He might y
lold one of the fares and report the other
.WO, but he would be more likely to hold y
me fare aud two tickets. The fare is II
S. 90 The ticket be must dispose Of to L
capers st Z discount, so his account CT
would stand: =,
Knocked down -
me cash fare ...-......... an l
NO Tickets, 81, lees 81. .......... Is uO &c
Total............... OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 81 10 eI
"NOw, if the conductor has set the sum ne
e wants To knock down per trip on an al
verage, and that sum should happen TO ST
e $50. his account would tall short tC
Is 80, CT one through fare. W
THE SCIENCE OF DISHONESTY IS
at is essential 10 successful knocking W
own that the conductor should study WI
he seasons of the travel. There are ne
lonths when the bulk OF traffic is west. Ii
nd other times when the bulk is east. 81
Nd then again il IL about the same both sh
Tays. He must know when these sea pr
ons begin, and he must know, if they TT:
ont begin, when it is natural to expect on
lem. lie must read the newspapers and W.
eep posted on what is going on in the re-
rincipal cities ON his run-whether the is
ompany has any reason to expect an IN de
susl number of passengers on q certain tai
ay at certain station. And he must pc
$50 know his passengers. Yes, sir,
nov them. l don't mean that ne must
g acquainted with them, or even their
smes or business, but he must know Ms
neither there is any person aboard whose w
resenCe makes it unsafe for him to oper-
-e. How is he to know that? Well, bar
ne an occasional mistake, it is very ve.
mple, but l can't explain it. Supposing, mo
len, that the conductor, whose little ac- -
punt we have Just made out, is veteran OIL
I'd knows all these things, he sits down ing
some car an hour before his runs tbs
and figures that other SIS so an
ON the cOmpany's pocket into ito
s own. For certain reasons he has
)esn't want 10 steal another through pas
cket, and he doesn't want TO pinch that 81
her tempting fare, He has picked up ing
route $40 or $50 in way fares, but he age
ways makts point OF turning this in, hin
It gives him good reputation with siti
e company. Then what is he to do? hin
looks over his package of collected thr
,kets and finds three for one town, the bel
gregate value Of the tickets being SIS. 80. in {
lese he lays aside and forgets to il pub
lde them IN his report The next trip hin
makes over the run, be will name ge to reg
10 four (lnstesd of two through tickets Tai
d one cash fare. This you see averages Exs
thing and makes each trip pan out Der
Q. be turns in the three tickets he gett
pt oack in the previous trip, which cert
.kes good the number of passengers he has
'rted with, so that 8 spotter st the de- post
t or on the train will be unable 10 curI
.ch MIN short or the number" paid
LAT DISHONEST CONDUCTORS SHOULD opp
KNOW. the
But ne was short on the number the urge
vious trip if he took two through and max
ee way tickets, besides cash fare"
No, he wasn't" dryly answered the Ju
ductor, as he took a fresh cigar. 81 the !
got TO say that he turned in a short and
cash fare, layoVer check, or the HON